Outgoing mayor might stay on sidelines rather than supporting DeMaio or Filner

One of the biggest questions in the San Diego mayor’s race is whether departing Mayor Jerry Sanders will endorse in the campaign to be his successor.

Politically, the choice would seem obvious for Sanders. As a Republican, he lines up philosophically far more with Republican City Councilman Carl DeMaio than Democratic Rep. Bob Filner. The decision is complicated, however, by the deep fissure that exists between Sanders and DeMaio after being at loggerheads for years.

Sanders could simply sit out the race rather than perform the verbal gymnastics that would likely be required to justify backing either candidate. But politics makes for strange bedfellows, and Sanders is being pressured by his supporters and confidantes to pick a side.

For now, the official line from the Mayor’s Office is: “The mayor has not yet decided whether he will be endorsing in this race.”

An endorsement from Sanders could be a boon to either candidate because both are trying to woo moderate voters after a bruising primary that was decided along partisan lines. A U-T San Diego poll in March found that Sanders’ popularity crosses party lines with Democrats, Republicans and decline-to-state voters, each viewing him favorably by 60 percent or higher.

John Dadian, a Republican political consultant who isn’t involved in the race, said he’d advise Sanders to stay on the sidelines to avoid answering difficult questions.

“If he endorses DeMaio, he has to explain why the negative things he said about the councilman in the past don’t count anymore,” Dadian said. “And if he endorses Filner … he’ll have to face many of his supporters who have strongly supported him as a Republican candidate.”

Dadian also said there’s little risk for Sanders if he sits out the race, but there is potential fallout if he issues an endorsement.

“The biggest downside is he has always come across in his tenure in office as being sincere and … not being swayed by people, going with his conscience, and people know he’s not crazy about either one of these candidates,” he said.

Sanders and DeMaio may both be Republicans, but the councilman has repeatedly pitted himself against Sanders on major civic issues. DeMaio was the loudest opposition to a proposal to build a new City Hall, which Sanders abandoned two years ago. He opposed the mayor’s unsuccessful push for a sales-tax increase in 2010. He voted against a retiree health care deal that Sanders brokered with city workers, saying it didn’t save enough taxpayer money. And he has often skewered the mayor’s budget proposals over the years.

DeMaio and Sanders teamed up on an initiative to replace pensions with 401(k)-style plans for most new city hires last year, but that compromise was done more out of political expedience than any true partnership. In a July deposition, Sanders acknowledged he hadn’t spoken to DeMaio for months before the deal was made.

The most recent dust-up between DeMaio and Sanders came in May. DeMaio had criticized Sanders for trying to paint a rosy future for San Diego’s budget while largely ignoring the nearly $900 million in deferred capital projects the city needs. At the same time, DeMaio took credit for many cost-saving reforms in the budget.